We’re a little late this week, but we hope it’s worth the wait, as Cal has been to the London Film Festival, bringing news of films by Christian Petzold, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Francois Ozon, and a doozy of a performance by Reese Witherspoon. The week’s reviews consist of IRA thriller “’71,” starring everyone’s favourite young actor, Jack O’Connell, and scriptwriting comedy “The Rewrite,” which was somewhat overshadowed by Marisa Tomei’s jeans. Cal saw Susan Sarandon play Sheriff in religious serial killer drama “The Calling,” which just about escaped the dreaded “F” grade, while we also had time to discuss Stephen Frears’ BFI Fellowship, Lindsay Lohan’s theatre stint, and Michelle Pfeiffer’s history at the Oscars. Elsewhere, we argue about the main concerns of Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard,” pimp an underseen German exorcist drama, and chat about the eclectic cast of Judd Apatow’s upcoming film, the title of which greatly amuses Pete.

The Week’s News:

Stephen Frears receives a BFI Fellowship

[5:40 – 14:30]

Opening Segment: Coverage from the London Film Festival, featuring discussion of “Leviathan,” “The New Girlfriend,”“Phoenix,” and “Wild”

This week we’re living up to our Boozy British stereotype, as Pete’s return from Canada brings news of some troubling Toronto drinking laws and a serious put-down to an over-excitable hockey fan. We discuss the death of a glamour puss and the reveal of Sofia Coppola’s new project, plus one of us finally gets around to Ralph Fiennes’ “The Invisible Woman,” and we have reviews of acting showcase “Jimmy P” and kidnap story “7th Floor.” Find out whether Paul Dano can atone for his many acting sins by putting together a credible list of favourite films, how Brian DePalma’s steamy “Passion” compares to the original French thriller “Love Crime, and whether Kathryn Hahn can make the most of a rare leading role in offbeat comedy “Afternoon Delight.” Discover which liberal category placement instigated a spontaneous sing-off, why Cal’s failure to have seen an Ozu film isn’t particularly useful this week, and why Abba and Rihanna trump Robin Thicke.

The Week’s News:

The death of Kate O’Mara

Sofia Coppola to direct a live-action version of “The Little Mermaid”

Paul Dano announces his top ten of all time

[5:00 – 22:05]

Preconception Corner

Reviews of:

The Invisible Woman

Jimmy P

Afternoon Delight

7th Floor

Days of Darkness

[33:00 – 1:15:50]

Closing Segment: Our take on Brian DePalma’s “Passion,” and likening it to original French film “Love Crime”[1:15:55 – 1:26:10]